Jack Rivlin is the editor of The Tab, an online tabloid for students which is "neither clever nor funny", according to the Guardian. He is a former Evening Standard news reporter. You can find his earlier posts here

We should extend anonymity to rape suspects, until they are charged

Manchester University is divided over the handling of a student who was arrested on suspicion of rape. On the day that Theresa May proposed guidelines instructing police not to name suspects until they have been charged, Greater Manchester Police did just that. They used a Facebook page designed for student safety to circulate a photo of the suspect, which was then widely shared.

ITV News and Manchester Evening News also published the photo, but both they and the police quickly pulled it after the man in question was arrested and several students complained. It raises a question we’ve heard a lot since the Savile scandal erupted – should we extend anonymity to rape suspects as well as victims?

For what it's worth, I don't think we should, because there’s a lot of evidence to show naming suspects brings witnesses forward (10 spoke up after Stuart Hall was named). But Theresa May’s guidelines – giving them anonymity until they are charged – might be a better, albeit imperfect solution.

Ruined reputation is nothing next to rape, and plenty of people are angry that the welfare of suspects gets this much attention. But they should welcome the new guidelines too, because there are thousands of people – almost entirely male – who are genuinely more angered by false accusations than by rape. They are wrong, but giving anonymity until suspects are charged seems a fairly safe way to quieten them down, uphold a fundamental right and get back to focusing on the real issue.

There will be better people writing on this general issue than me, but the Manchester case is worth highlighting because it shows how modern technology is forcing change. The Tab’s Ed Bannister has written an excellent account on how Facebook has undermined this Manchester student’s right to presumed innocence. Celebrities wrongly accused of terrible crimes have always had their lives ruined (look at Michael Barrymore), but the internet is dishing out infamy much more democratically. Thanks to Facebook, you can become a rapist in the minds of thousands within minutes.

And then Google ensures your name is recorded next to a crime for posterity, so that when you graduate from university and apply for your first job, a potential employer will type your name and immediately sees the word ‘rape’ appear next to it. Bit of a handicap.

In any case, innocent until proven guilty doesn’t seem to count for much in people’s minds. I’ve noticed, through their unpublishable comments, how readers react to court reports of on-going trials. They often presume guilt, sometimes because they don’t understand the legal process, and sometimes because they don’t care. As Charles Moore says: “The desire to convict regardless of evidence is deep in the human heart.”

Google, Facebook and Twitter crystallise that presumed guilt forever. That Manchester student’s photo is still visible through a Google search, even though the media have removed it from their websites. He may very well be found guilty, but even if he’s isn’t, his name is ruined.

Perhaps people always did remember rumours and gossip, I’m too young to know. But today, you can emigrate to anywhere in the world, and you still can’t escape a false accusation.